Appliance for playing a game



A. RIMMER Jan. 125, 1937.

APPLIANCE FOR PLAYING A GAME Filed Feb. 7, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l AMI fin/enfer:

gw V if Jan. 12, 1937. H. A. RIMMER APPLIANCE FOR PLAYING A GAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 7, 1954 FIQQ.

Patented Jan. 12, 1937 APPLIANCE FR PLAYING A GAME Application February '7, 1934, Serial No. 710,177` ln Great Britain February 8, 1933 1 Claim.

The invention relates to appliances for playing a new or improved game and includes a cue, a ball and a flat table top having thereon an obstacle adapted to impart to the ball a leap or jump whereby said ball may alight on one or other of a plurality of axially movable members located adjacent to the end of the board, desirably on an inclined surface.

Each movable member may be connected to or associated with a switch included in an electric circuit having lamps, bells, and/or other suitable visible and/or audible alarms indicating which particular member has been struck.

The movable members and/or lamps may be 1a suitably numbered and/or coloured.

When a movable member is struck by a player playing a ball by means of the cue the switch is actuated and a visible and/or audible indication is given of the particular member which has been struck.

The obstacle or obstacles on the board may include a rigid member of wedge or other suitable shape or alternatively the obstacle may include a hinged spring-urged board which yields upon impact and on return hurls the ball towards the movable members.

Fig. l of the accompanying drawings is a perspective view of appliances, according to an embodiment of the invention for playing a game. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic plan View of the table apparatus on which the game is played. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation illustrating a slidable knob adapted to be moved axially when struck by a ball to close an electric circuit. Fig. 4 is a 35 diagram illustrating a coin-freed locking device hereinafter referred to. Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a slidable gate adapted to return the knobs to the raised position after said knobs have been knocked down by a ball. Fig. 6 is a 40 transverse diagrammatic elevation illustrating a spirit-level located above the obstacle. Fig. 'l is a diagrammatic section illustrating a method of tting baize cloth to the table and Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic elevation illustrating the upper 45 end of an adjustable table leg. Fig. 9 is a plan view of a rubber or like mat which may be placed on the table and is hereinafter referred to. Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic view of the electric circuits included in the appliance.

50 'Ihe embodiment of the invention illustrated by Fig. l includes a table supported by legs I and presenting a ila!f top 2, upstanding side walls 3 and an end wall fl located at the playing end of the table. A cue and balls for playing the 55 game are illustrated andvdesignated 5 and 6 respectively. At the end of the table top 2 remote from the end wall 4 an angled or inclined member 'l presenting an obstacle is transversely located. If desired the obstacle I may be hinged to the table top so as to vary the inclination of 5 the inclined surface. An extension of the table top includes a sloping or inclined landing board or surface 8 and an intermediate inclined board or surface 9. The members 2, 8 and 9 may be permanently secured together or detachably con- 10 nected together. As shown by Fig. 2 the members and 9 may be hinged together so as to vary the inclination of the board B. The board 8 may be provided with an enclosing hood presented by a net II. The frame carrying the net 15 may be collapsible by being provided with hinged joints. At the upper end of the board 8 an indicator box I2 is located. The said box may be hinged to the board 8. Associated with the board 8 is a plurality of knobs or the like I3. As shown by Fig. 3 the knobs I3 are each provided with a stem I4 axially slidable through a hole in the board 8 and provided with a flanged collar I5 which engages the actuating lever member I6 of a snap electric switch Il of well-known or usual construction and which is included in an electric circuit which also includes a lamp I8 located in the box I2, there being a lamp for each knob.

The intermediate sloping board 9 may be provided with angled guide rails 2| adapted to return the balls through a tube 22 to a box 23 at the playing end of the table.

In playing the game the player strikes a ball with the cue and propels it along the table. The ball strikes the obstacle 'I and jumps or bounds over the intermediate board 9 and if skillfully played strik-es one or other of the knobs or the like I3 whereby said knob is knocked down thereby actuating the switch associated therewith and 40 closing a circuit so as to give a visual or other indication which knob has been struck. The ball then rolls down the boards 8 and 9 and is returned through the tube 22 to the box 23, located at the playing end of the table.

If desired and as illustrated by Fig. 5 a gate 24 may be located under the board 8 and provided with a plurality of wedges 25, a wedge being cooperative with the stem of each knob whereby when-the gate by means of a handle 26 is slid on 50 guides 21, secured to the underside of the board 8, all the knobs are returned to the up position.

As indicated by Fig. 2 spirit-levels 28 may be provided on the upstanding walls 3 and 4 to indicate when the table top 2 is level. 55

As shown by Fig. 6 a spirit-level 29 may be provided at the top of the obstacle 'l whereby, particularly when the apparatus is placed on board ship, the roll or transverse movement of the ship may be indicated, it being understood that when a ball strikes the obstacle 1 it bounds over the spirit-level 2S.

In order that the level of the table top 2 may be adjusted the legs i may be provided with an internally screw threaded nut or wheel Fig. 8, cooperative with a correspondingly threaded stem 3i. lIhe screw-threaded device may be associated with the bottom or feet of the table legs instead of the top of the legs.

To protect the baize or other cloth covering the table at the playing end thereof a rubber mat or the like 32 may be provided. As illustrated by Fig. 9 the forward edge of the rubber mat may be provided with notches or the like 33 into which the ball may be placed whereby it is steadied, particularly when the table is placed on board ship.

The obstacle may be cylindrical and may be mounted for rotation.

Desirably green baize or other suitable cloth is secured to the playing surface of the table top 2. Conveniently, and in order that the cloth may be worn evenly, the cloth, Fig. 7, may be in the form of an endless band 34, the ends being connected by stitching indicated at 35. After being in use for some time the band of cloth 3d is moved round the table top 2 to present another portion of the playing surface. The endless band 3@ may include an elastic insert to tighten the band on the table top 2.

If desired the tube 22 may be provided with a box 3B provided with coin-freed mechanism, whereby, normally a shutter or the like 3l blocks the tube 22, and cuts off the electric currents. On a coin b-eing inserted through the slot 38 the shutter 3l is removed and the current switched The box may also contain a clock or other time device whereby at the expiration of a period of time the shutter 3l is replaced to block the tube Instead of a hand cue 5 being used to propel the balls along the table the playing end of the table may be provided withy a spring-urged bolt, presenting a cue, associated with a trigger device whereby on release of the trigger the bolt-cue propels a ball placed in front thereof along the table top.

I claim:-

An appliance for playing a cueandball game comprising a at table top, an obstacle mounted on said top adjacent to an end thereof and adapted to impart a jump or leap to a ball played along said top, an inclined landing beard spaced behind said obstacle, an intermediate-inclined board located between said landing board and obstacle, a plurality of spaced axially movable stems which penetrate said landing board and are adapted to be knocked down by impact of a ball alighting on the upper end thereof, a flanged collar secured on each stem und-er said landing board, a plurality of electric snap switches, a lever presented by each switch and having an end located between the flanges of aforesaid collar, an electrical indicator device located at the upper end of said landing board and presenting a plurality of lamps each of which is included in the same circuit as an aforesaid switch, guide rails on said intermediate board, and a ball returning tube located under aforesaid table top.

HERBERT ARNOLD RIMMER. 

